Science: Breeding Atoms

Experts called it the biggest atomic news since the end of World War II.
The Atomic Energy Commission revealed last week that it is now
considered practical to build a nuclear reactor which will "breed" more
atomic fuel than it consumes.

Uranium is a tricky element. As it comes from the mines, it contains
only .7% of the active isotope U-235, whose atoms "fission" (split in
two) with a big release of energy. Nearly all the rest is 11-238, an
idle isotope which will not fission naturally, though its heavy nucleus
contains about the same energy as 11-235.